Information stored in logic and memory devices has traditionally been in the form of electric charge. Unfortunately, charge can leak over time resulting in the information encoded in the charge to be lost. Magnetic materials offer a storage alternative for logic and memory devices because they can retain their configuration and remain stable indefinitely without additional power.
To make magnetic materials viable for use in devices and circuits, switching mechanisms are being explored. Magnetic materials can be switched in various ways. One mechanism for switching a magnetic material is current-based. In this case, spin polarization is generated by current flow into a material to produce a torque that causes the magnetization of the magnetic material to change direction (Spin Hall Effect). However, this method requires current to flow, consuming a significant quantity of power. Another mechanism for switching a magnetic material is by using voltages, which will not intrinsically dissipate power since the associated current is very small. For this reason, voltage-based magnetization reversal is gaining interest.